SALT LAKE CITY — An airline passenger who allegedly got up to go the bathroom less than 30 minutes before landing became the first person arrested under a new federal flight regulation adopted for the Olympics.

Richard Bizarro, 59, could get up to 20 years in prison on charges of interfering with a flight crew.

That sure would have made a lot more sense, and obviously 3 armed marshals would have had no trouble preventing one man from getting very far away from his seat. But I expect it won't be long before these regulations come up against an even tougher obstacle, in the form of suits under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

First, I WOULD NOT PISS MY PANTS. I would politely but firmly tell the flight attendant that I needed to go to the bathroom and then go. If they arrested me then you bet your butt I would find a shyster lawyer to make me rich! Like I said, a prisoner has more rights than a paying passenger aboard an airline.

Now it begins... We've lost the right to pee in an aircraft when we need to. Which of your freedoms will they take next. A little bit here, a little bit there. These small pieces all add up in the long run.

The same rule has been in place for all flights in and out of Reagan Airport in DC ever since it re-opened post 9/11. It makes perfect sense to me and the flight crew gives you a "last call" announcement to pee 45 minutes before landing. I feel safer flying into Reagan than any other airport now because of the tight security.

These measures are ridiculous and ludicrous - getting all over American passangers; let's see how this works to curve real criminals and terrorists. This is reacting and overdoing, the commong citizen must not be harrased in this manner.

"...well. I am not sure what I would have done if I had been on the flight w/ Bizarro? After hearing the Captain warn everyone to stay in his seat, I would have been very nervous if someone stood up and walked towards the front of the plane five minutes later..." From what I've been reading, passengers are flying with vigilante mentalities. Curious that no one seemed threatened enough to tackle the guy. It was the stews authority being challenged here, that was the threat. This should send a message, along with the "America changed after 911..." mantra I'm growing increasingly tired of.

Authorities said a flight attendant instructed Bizarro to return to his seat immediately after he left the bathroom. She said Bizarro, who is 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, ignored her orders and stared at her for about a minute before returning to his seat, according to the FBI.

The incident was seen by two of three undercover air marshals on board, the FBI said. One of the agents said he saw Bizarro give what appeared to be a "thumbs up" to another passenger as he returned to his seat, prompting the marshals to take control of the cabin.

Since 9/11, I've noticed that for most flights, the cost of a ticket has not decreased, the multiple rules and fare penalties for changing tickets have not decreased, yet the airlines have gotten billions of dollars in government bailouts with my tax dollars.

The idiotic pc rules which dictate that 80 year old ladies and 3 year old children be treated equally bad as potential terrorists only continue to expand.

I can't say I won't ever fly again, because I don't have time or the proper equipment to get to the Caribbean or Europe myself. But I have given up flying for shorter trips. If it seemed like the airlines were making up for some of their shortfalls in other ways, I might have more sympathy for them.

\ I'm going to the Olympics this week. Last year I would have flown. This year I'm driving.

He would have the sky marshals and airline taking turns kissing his butt by now! hehe... No one messes with the handicapped and lives to tell about it, not in uber PC America, circa. early 21st century:)

The U.S. Code contains all federal statutes and consists of 56,117 single-spaced pages. Taking up nine feet of shelf space consisting of forty-seven volumes. The Code of Federal Regulations consists of more than 134,500 pages of regulatory law spanning twenty feet of shelf space. Judicial precedents for Federal law stretch across 490 feet of law-library shelving that consists of 2,756 volumes. Those are just the federal laws. State laws ad insult to injury.

How many of of those laws have you broken?

Seventy-five percent of the population breaks the law at least once a week; 15% break the law daily. Probably the only people not breaking the law are mostly young children. Give them a few more years and they'll be sucked into the "criminal" category too.

Yet 95% of people don't even know they're breaking the law.

Be thankful that all lawbreakers are not apprehended because we all might believe that were just a bunch of criminals gone amuck. If it was possible to have enough cops to apprehend and process all law breakers and run them through the justice system society would run headlong into destruction. In a day society would come to a screeching halt.

There are so many laws -- political agenda laws -- virtual every person is a politically correct criminal. Or is that a politically incorrect criminal. Either way, you get the point.

I just read that an old lady was detained at the local airportfor trying to carry knitting needles and yarn onto the aircraft. Sheclaimed that she had no knowledge that knitting needles was against therules, but ignorance of the law is no excuse. After all the fuss finallyquieted down she found out that they were afraid she would make anAfghan while on board.

Since you asked me what I thought about the hands on the head thing (your response had nothing to do with my post), I think it sounds a little overboard. I will say that I wasn't there, the three marshalls were, and until I know more about the incident, I will consider my opinion thusly qualified.

You mean like the passengers on Flight 93, fighting back against hijackers? btw, the scariest aspect of this thread are the dickwits above trying to justify the legal response to this.

If this guy had been on flight 93, he would have been attacked by them for causing a disturbance and disobeying the orders of flight and challenging the flight staff. This guy in know way is a hero, like those brave people, and I would be kind of embarrassed to have compared this guy to the heroic passengers of flight 93.

Ditto! L.A. to Salt Lake City can't be a very long flight. If he would have used bathroom a gate in L.A., and/or used airline bathroom as soon as the seatbelt light went off after leveling off, like just about everybody else does, he could have held on and waited until he landed in Salt Lake. of course, if it was an emergency, like diahrea, that's a differnet story, and he can tell it to the judge.

Ditto! L.A. to Salt Lake City can't be a very long flight. If he would have used bathroom a gate in L.A., and/or used airline bathroom as soon as the seatbelt light went off after leveling off, like just about everybody else does, he could have held on and waited until he landed in Salt Lake. of course, if it was an emergency, like diahrea, that's a different story, and he can tell it to the judge.

"You are assuming that the sky marshals are telling the truth. To whom did he give the thumbs up to? That person should have been arrested too. Or did he just give the thumbs up to the flight attendant? Did he nod his head or speak to anyone on his way back to his seat? Or is that against the law too."

You're a friggin idiot arent you?

I know that in the schizophrenic world of Contrarian Treky conventions you are taught to pull magic reasons out of your wazoo as to why we all should second guess authority or obliquely imply that our eye in the sky masters would lie in order to Tyranically rule over the world...

....but over here in commonsense conservative land we tend to take those placed in charge of pretecting airliners from either being blown up or highjacked and crashed into Skyscrapers.....at their word.

What difference does it make if he goes to the bathroom 25 minutes before landing, or 35 minutes before landing? Is there something dangerous he could do at 25 minutes, but he could not do at 35 minutes?

Jesus, whom you profess, said, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "`These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!"

"What difference does it make if he goes to the bathroom 25 minutes before landing, or 35 minutes before landing? " Ten minutes. Rules are rules people...I thought it was the Liberals that had a problem with that. Stop whining.

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